Wot a Coup for Sailors with disABILITIES

by Lisa Ratcliff on 3 Dec 2010 Sailors with disABILITIES is cautioning they will take no prisoners in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race when they shift gears in their long established program thanks to a half a million dollar donation.

Wotif.com co-founder Graeme Wood today formally presented his boat to SWD at the race’s host club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, to coincide with the International Day of Disabled Persons and SWD’s tilt at the ocean classic, which will start at 1pm from Sydney Harbour in 23 days time.

Wood gifted his Nelson Marek designed 52 footer, previously known as Wot Yot and christened Wot Eva by SWD, to the charity organisation in August and for the first time in 16 Bass Straight crossings, SWD will be in contention for the Tattersall’s Cup for the overall winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, considered worldwide one of yachting’s most prestigious trophies.

'For the big race we will take a mixed crew of disabled and able bodied and we will be operating on a skills based platform, as we always have done,' said skipper and founder of SWD, David Pescud.

'Sailors are interested in speed and SWD is no different, although for our first Hobart we are well aware we’ll have a rock star boat and a bunch of boofheads sailing it.'

On the donation, the single largest to SWD since its inception in 1994, Pescud has been humbled. 'When someone of Graeme’s standing presents this type of gift, it affirms our purpose, which is to make a difference.

'That fact that this donation has come from a fellow yachty I believe also affirms our place amongst my fellow boat owners and as an integral part of the Australian marine industry.'

Pescud continued 'Graeme’s act is one of kindness and generosity and it’s a gift that will benefit the wider sailing community as we are offering opportunities to those with the right skills to come and crew with us, plus it keeps this grand prix boat out racing with those in its league.

'Thanks to Graeme we have the potential to run a two boat campaign however Sailors with DisABILITIES is running on empty and to maintain and expand our racing and schools program we need a major sponsor,' Pescud added.

Rather than sell his TP52 to the highest bidder, Graeme Wood, has yet again strengthened his reputation in Australian philanthropy by donating his former boat, worth $500,000, to SWD.

'Sailors with disABILITIES do a wonderful job in showing both the able-bodied and disabled what is possible with through grit and determination,' said Wood.

'A fast and competitive yacht will add to the challenge and the rewards. The boat will also enable SWD to expand their youth program, a highly regarded program building confidence and opening new horizons for young disabled people.'

Pescud took charge of the new boat in August and since then has spent time aboard assessing the existing layout and figuring out how crew with varying disabilities will manage when the boat’s in race mode bashing to windward across ‘the paddock’, the notorious stretch of ocean that is eastern Bass Strait.

'Boats generally work on the assumption that crew will be standing up below deck moving from side to side when the boat tacks, which is not always the case with us given our amputees and those in wheelchairs.

'I was pleasantly surprised by the engineering of the boat and the layout downstairs and whilst it’s not perfect for us, it is a reasonable compromise,' Pescud said.

SWD’s existing boat, a Lyons 52 called Kayle, has been on the water at every opportunity since 2000, entertaining 3,000 children year as part of their Sydney Harbour and north coast schools program as well as campaigning the boat with the distinct coloured bubble livery in all the major offshore races, and collecting a trailer load of trophies along the way. The Lyons design still holds the record for the fastest non-stop unassisted monohull circumnavigation of Australia, set in 2003 by Pescud and his team.

Down the track, running a two-boat program means the charity organisation could further expand its schools program from two to three days a week and eventually, with enough corporate support and volunteers, SWD could potentially run two racing crews and enter both boats in all the major inshore and offshore events.

Come the Rolex Sydney Hobart start day on 26 December, Wot Eva will be amongst a strong fleet of 52 footers, dominated by the TP52 class, on the start line of the hottest sailing ticket in town.

Sailors with disABILITIES www.sailorswithdisabilities.com
wotif.com www.wotif.com.au
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race www.rolexsydneyhobart.com